Wednesday, August 16, 2017

On Saturday, August 5,
2017, I attended another lecture at Edge of the Cedars Museum; topic being,
"The Four Corners Potato".
This interesting and informative lecture was delivered by Dr. Lisbeth
Louderback, Curator of Archaeology and Dr. Bruce Pavlik, Director of
Conservation; both of University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

Drs. Bruce Pavlik and Lisbeth Louderback

During an excavation of
ruins in the Escalante Valley (aka Potato Valley and now you'll find out why the
nickname), residue was found on manos and metates (used for grinding
grains). After carefully wrapping the
artifacts, individually in plastic, to avoid contamination, the residue was
genetically tested. Imagine the surprise
of finding starch granules, not of wheat or corn, but from a species of
potato! Sorry Idaho, but looks like the
ancestral Puebloans of Utah were one up on the potato industry approximately
11, 000 years ago.

Question though, were the
potatoes always here or brought up through Mexico and traded for?Exploring the landscape surrounding the ruin
site, plants of Solanum jamesii were found growing and thriving.To answer the question just asked, studies were
done extensively throughout the 4 states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and
Utah; this species seemed to be only growing in the 4 Corners region.San Juan County, Utah?Correct!Thriving plants can be still found in the Newspaper Rock area, so stay
on the path when hiking around and don’t trample the plant life.

Newspaper Rock

Macaw Shawl found by Kent Frost, housed at Edge of the Cedars Museum

Let me get back to the
question of, "So, What's with the Potatoes?"This was asked of me by another attendee of
the lecture who didn't understand why I was there.First off, it concerns a food item, not just
of this region, but potatoes, and who doesn't enjoy those?Secondly, being able to input historical
information into food articles gives the reader more "brain
food".These tubers may be tiny
(average size equal to adult thumbnail), but they are powerful in growth and
nutrition; think of them as little superheroes.Drought and disease resistant; the plants are intelligent as they wait
for monsoon season to provide needed moisture.In one experiment, a plant placed in a ten gallon container produced
over 100 delicious spuds.S. jamesii has
twice the amount of protein, zinc and manganese; and 3 times calcium and iron
of the common potato (S. tuberosum) sold in markets all over the USA.Slight evidence has been found of a compound
within the potato that may effectively be used as a preventative and/or
curative for cancer.

How did the ancestral Puebloans
process, store and eat S. jamesii?Roasted (residue found in cooking pots), boiled unpeeled and eaten as
is, sometimes raw, or placed into niches of the pueblo walls, dried, then
ground into flour.Need more modern day
techniques and recipes?San Juan Record
carries a book to help you out, The Forgotten Skills of Self-Sufficiency
used by the Mormon Pioneers by Caleb Warnock.Interacting with the local Natives, the
pioneers needed to learn from them; what was safe to eat, how to grow and
harvest; definitely how to cook and store for the harsh winter ahead.At Edge of the Cedars Museum, Wild Plants
and Native Peoples of the Four Corners by William Dunmire and Gail Tierney
is a wonderful guide of the knowledge the ancestral Puebloans passed down to
their modern descendants.

Which brings me to the 4
Corners Potato Stewardship Program (yes, the Cokenour family did sign up) to
help propagate and grow these wild potatoes.
While Solanum jamesii thrives in the other three states, often on
Navajo, Hopi and Zuni reservation land, it is at a critical point of extinction
within Utah. Whether a small space
gardener, like our family; major landowners; even farmers with ample fields,
stewards are needed to keep this food source viable. Here is another way for the stewards of San
Juan County to show how residents protect our land!